1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a device used to apply elastic gloves and detect pinhole size leaks in elastic gloves especially those used by health care professionals.
2. Description of Prior Art
Increasingly, health care professionals wear elastic examination gloves to prevent bodily fluids from passing between patient and care giver. Such precautions may reduce the risk of contracting diseases such as acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Some individuals wear two or more pair of gloves on each hand to prevent contaminated bodily fluids from passing through pinhole size voids in the glove material. Dentists may apply up to 100 gloves daily, especially when circulating between more than one patient treatment room. Each time a different patient is to be treated, a pair of gloves must be donned.
These elastic gloves generally assume a "skin tight" fit when worn and are consequently annoying and perhaps difficult to apply, especially if the hand or glove is damp. Air pockets may form at the finger tips requiring several adjustments to release this trapped air. Users who must change gloves frequently, consider glove donning a time consuming, somewhat irritating procedure. The inconvenience of manually donning gloves may actually deter some individuals from using examination gloves.
Without the aid of a device to assist in donning gloves, a person must pick a glove from a box; shake it out; orient the glove; pull it on the hand; and make several gestures to achieve a snug fit and release trapped air at the finger tips. This having been done, the wearer has no way to tell if the glove has tiny voids through which contaminated fluids can pass. Some health care professionals wear two gloves on each hand to protect against fluids leaking through small holes in the elastic material even though this reduces the sense of feel from the fingers and causes more hand fatigue and heat.
Inventors have created several glove donning devices to assist persons in applying elastic gloves. U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,272 to Vlock (1990) discloses a complex device to don and remove elastic gloves while making no attempt to detect small leaks in the glove. The device consists of cylinders, special rims, pivots, pumps, switches, air hose, controls, foot pedal, electrical energy supply, and more. The complexity and cost make this device unsuitable for wide use. Weight, size, and need for external power limits usefulness in some environments. U.S. Pat. No. 3,695,493 to Karr (1972) discloses a less complex device than Vlock's and consists of cylinders, vacuum chambers, rim seals, springs, bellows, valves, and foot treadle. Again, no attempt to detect minute leaks in the glove is made. The foot operated bellows limits where the device may be mounted. Other types of less complex elastic glove donning devices have been disclosed--for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,898,309 to Fischer (1990), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,228,935 to Madray (1980). Although inexpensive and having few components, neither attempts to detect leaks nor do they attempt to inflate the elastic glove to reduce friction between hand and glove. These devices merely hold gloves by the cuff.
Considering the foregoing, the art of donning elastic gloves would be advanced by providing a glove donning apparatus allowing easy and unassisted application of elastic gloves. It would be a further advance in the art to provide a glove donning device that detects the presence of pinhole size voids in the glove material through which contaminated fluids might pass to the wearer. This on-site detection of holes in examination gloves may eliminate the need for double glove wearing and contribute to reducing the chance of contaminated bodily fluids causing infection to the health care professional.
Most wearers and potential wearers of elastic gloves who must change gloves several times an hour would prefer a simple, maintenance-free device that needs no power of any kind to operate; that needs no connection to existing equipment; that holds and expands an elastic glove to reduce friction against the hand, and quickly aids in detecting small holes in the glove.